Ohio State Bar Foundation
Columbus, OH · EIN 31-6054093. Reported 112 grants totalling $4,634,020 to 68 organizations across tax years 2021-2024, on Form 990 Schedule I.
Does this grantmaker accept applications?
Its tax return does not say, and we will not guess. Private foundations file Form 990-PF, which asks outright whether they fund only organizations they select themselves -- 78% say yes, and that one answer is what lets the rest of this site tell you which foundations are worth approaching. Grantmaking charities like this one file a regular Form 990 instead, and the IRS never puts the question to them. Anyone claiming to know the answer from the filing is inventing it.
Three things in the filing do bear on it:
- What kind of organization it is. For Ohio State Bar Foundation, by its IRS classification it raises and distributes funds for crime & legal (NTEE I128).
- How spread out its giving is. 68 distinct organizations, with 12% of the dollars going to the largest single recipient. That is genuinely spread out -- the mark of a funder making many independent decisions rather than underwriting one institution.
- How much its list changes. 33% of one year's grantees are funded again the next, across 3 year-to-year transitions. That is below the 57% median for grantmaking charities, and well below the 67% private foundations manage. A list that turns over this much is one a newcomer can realistically join.
How big are its grants?
The median reported grant is $30,000. Half of what it reported fell between $19,550 and $50,000; the smallest was $5,000 and the largest $160,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong organization.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by the EIN the filer reported, not by name, so an organization that was typed differently in two years appears once rather than twice.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Law & Leadership Institute LLC | Columbus, OH | $556,700 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Ohio Center for Law Related Education | Columbus, OH | $489,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Ohio State University Foundation | Columbus, OH | $255,433 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Ohio Legal Help | Columbus, OH | $210,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Summer Work Experience in Law Inc | Cincinnati, OH | $200,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Ohio Alliance of Ymcas Foundation | Cincinnati, OH | $150,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court | Cleveland, OH | $133,310 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Kent State University Foundation | Kent, OH | $118,837 | 3 | 2 | 2023 |
| Pro Bono Partnership of Ohio | Cincinnati, OH | $114,345 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Health Policy Institute of Ohio | Columbus, OH | $105,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland, OH | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Innovation Ohio Education Fund | Columbus, OH | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Make a Day Foundation | Columbus, OH | $92,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Equality Ohio Education Fund | Columbus, OH | $87,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| National Center for State Courts | Williamsburg, VA | $76,489 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Ohio Disability Rights Law and Policy Center Inc | Columbus, OH | $72,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Mental Health & Addiction Advocacy Coalition | Cleveland, OH | $71,400 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Ohio Victim Witness Association Inc | Columbus, OH | $66,111 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Ohio Domestic Violence Network | Columbus, OH | $59,300 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Catholic Charities Corporation | Cleveland, OH | $57,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Mid-Ohio Psychological Services Inc | Lancaster, OH | $55,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The University of Toledo Foundation | Toledo, OH | $52,770 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Young Womens Christian Association | Columbus, OH | $50,625 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Frederick Douglass Project for Justice Inc | Washington, DC | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Greater Cleveland Neighborhood Centers Association | Cleveland, OH | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Legal Aid of Western Ohio Inc | Toledo, OH | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Legal Aid Society of Columbus | Columbus, OH | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Ohio Family Care Association | Columbus, OH | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Slavic Village Development | Cleveland, OH | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| United Way of Greater Cleveland Fund | Cleveland, OH | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| University of Cincinnati Foundation | Cincinnati, OH | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| The Ohio State University | Columbus, OH | $49,258 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Health Disparities Collaborative of Ohio | Columbus, OH | $45,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio | Columbus, OH | $42,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Women Helping Women | Cincinnati, OH | $42,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Benjamin Rose Institute | Cleveland, OH | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Juvenile Justice Coalition | Groveport, OH | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Legalworks Inc | Cleveland, OH | $40,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Northern Kentucky Childrens Law Center Inc | Covington, KY | $39,400 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio Foundation Inc | Cleveland, OH | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Adopt a Class Foundation | Cincinnati, OH | $33,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Ohio Access to Justice Foundation | Columbus, OH | $32,392 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Ohio Voice | Columbus, OH | $31,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Dick and Jane Project | Columbus, OH | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Lorain County Bar Association | Elyria, OH | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Ohio State Bar Association | Columbus, OH | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Foundation | Cleveland, OH | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Council on American-Islamic Relations - Ohio | Hilliard, OH | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Do It for James Foundation | Streetsboro, OH | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| International Welcome Center | New Franklin, OH | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Legal Aid Society of Cleveland | Cleveland, OH | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Ohio Humanities Council | Columbus, OH | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Portage County Juvenile Court | Ravenna, OH | $24,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| University of Mount Union | Alliance, OH | $22,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Justicemobile Inc | Dublin, OH | $21,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Pro Seniors Inc | Cincinnati, OH | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Central Ohio Workers Center Inc | Columbus, OH | $19,550 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Freedom a La Cart | Columbus, OH | $19,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence | Independence, OH | $18,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Crime Victim Services Inc | Lima, OH | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Talbert House | Cincinnati, OH | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Dominican Sisters of Peace Inc | Columbus, OH | $14,700 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio | Cincinnati, OH | $13,825 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Ability Center of Greater Toledo | Sylvania, OH | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Guardian Support Services Inc | Canton, OH | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Childrens Advocacy Center of Guernsey County | Cambridge, OH | $9,875 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Childrens Advocacy Center of Portage County Inc | Ravenna, OH | $9,700 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Judah Performing Arts Company Inc | Reynoldsburg, OH | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
29 of 68 (43%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold. Remember the $5,000 floor: an organization funded every year at $3,000 shows up here as never funded at all.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose column of its filings, largest first. This is the closest thing to a statement of what it funds, in its own words.
- Law and Leadership Institute
DIVERSITY IN LEADERSHIP FELLOWSHIP - Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court
PROJECT SUPPORT - CIVIC EDUCATION AND ACCESS TO JUSTICE - Ohio Center for Law Related Education
CIVIC EDUCATION: PROGRAMS, TEACHER TRAINING & OUTREACH - Summer Work Experience in Law Inc
SUMMER WORK EXPERIENCE IN LAW (SWEL) - The Ohio State University Foundation
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION - Ohio Victim Witness Association
ENHANCING ACCESS TO JUSTICE FOR OHIO'S HOMICIDE CO-VICTIMS
What kind of organizations it funds
By each recipient's own IRS classification, for the 56 of 68 recipients we could match to a registered organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses -- Schedule I reports the recipient's EIN, so this is a lookup rather than a name match.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants reported | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 27 | $1,202,127 | $32,392 |
| 2022 | 30 | $1,360,995 | $45,521 |
| 2023 | 34 | $1,086,135 | $25,000 |
| 2024 | 21 | $984,763 | $35,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- Form 990 arrives about a year after the year it covers, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a grantmaker winding down.
Where its money goes
96% of its giving went to organizations in Ohio. Community foundations and federated funds are usually the most geographically bounded funders there are -- being outside the footprint is normally disqualifying in a way that a weak programme fit is not.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These grantmakers and private foundations gave to organizations this one also funded. Shared grantees are the strongest signal available that two funders have overlapping priorities -- and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.
How to approach this grantmaker
- Look for a published programme first. Unlike most private foundations, organizations of this kind often do run open, deadlined grant cycles with written guidelines. Its own website is the authority on that; this page is the authority on who it has actually paid.
- Check you are its size. The median reported grant is $30,000 -- and because grants under $5,000 need not be reported, it very likely writes smaller cheques than this page can see.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving concentrates in Ohio.
- Read the recipient list for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer and a cheap one to get.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Ohio State Bar Foundation's own Form 990 Schedule I filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Nothing here is scraped, inferred or estimated.
Address of record on the latest return: 1700 Lake Shore Drive 230, Columbus, OH, 43204.
EIN 31-6054093 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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